Shinoda Increases Scholarship Levels

The trustees of the Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation have approved an increase in the Shinoda scholarship awards, in part to help defray the increased costs of attending schools. The foundation awards these scholarships to students studying floriculture, horticulture and related fields, and has given more than $644,000 in scholarships to 579 undergraduate floriculture students since 1965.

“The trustees made a decision to increase the amounts of the scholarships for several reasons,” said Paul Ecke, III, president of the Shinoda Foundation. “An increase in the cost of school — and living in general — was one very important factor.” For the current academic year, the award levels have been increased to $1,500-3,500. The six scholarships awarded for 2005-2006 totaled $15,000. The foundation’s goal is to give even larger scholarships in the future.

The trustees hope that increasing the scholarship awards will attract the highest quality students, encourage students to apply for the funding and help students pursue their careers in floriculture.

“We also hope the higher award values will raise the prestige of the Shinoda scholarships in the eyes of the students and their departments,” Ecke said. “The late Joseph Shinoda, in whose memory these awards are given, was a highly regarded man in the field. These awards, too, are respected in the industry and will go a long way toward creating horticulture’s future great leaders.”